Seniors’ Last Games Bring Mixed Results

The Harvard men’s water polo team closed out a disappointing season with a rather disappointing effort this past weekend, taking sixth place at the Northern Division Championships held at MIT’s Al ’51 and Barrie Zesiger Sports and Fitness Center. After splitting a pair of games against MIT and Connecticut College on Saturday, the Crimson (5-12, 3-5 CWPA) started strong against Fordham yesterday afternoon, yet was not able to overcome multiple missed opportunities and an opportunistic Rams offense in a close defeat in the fifth-place game.

The setback on Saturday morning meant this weekend was the end of the collegiate era for Harvard’s two co-captains, goalie Jay Connolly and utility man David Tune. The two suited up for the Crimson for the final time on Sunday afternoon.

“It was great to see the guys go out swinging together. Harvard water polo has been a very positive experience for me both in and out of the pool with relationships that will last a very long time,” Connolly said.

The Crimson was done in this weekend by having to play catch-up throughout its two defeats. At times, it put together effectively executed set plays but was not able to sustain a high level of play against rather evenly matched opponents in MIT and Fordham.

“We played worthy opponents in both [MIT and Fordham],” Tune said. “I thought we were well prepared and played hard, but just came out on the wrong end of a couple of close games.”

FORDHAM 10, HARVARD 8

Harvard responded well to the Rams’ attack throughout the first quarter of the game yesterday. The teams switched off tallies and ended the period deadlocked at two. However, the Crimson did not respond well out of the break and quickly fell behind, 6-2, and eventually, 8-4, before halftime.

Harvard closed the gap to within two but could get no closer to victory as the final quarter came to an end.

“I thought we played well today against Fordham,” Tune remarked. “They beat us by a lot more the last time we played them [a 14-6 defeat at Fordham on Oct. 12], so I thought we gave a solid effort.”

HARVARD 20, CONN COLLEGE 4

The Crimson offense fired on all cylinders Saturday afternoon against Connecticut College. The Camels came into the contest with a record of 0-13 and never really posed a threat to the Harvard squad.

The Crimson opened up a five-goal lead before Connecticut College got on the board with a penalty shot, but Harvard went up 9-2 before most of the reserves were put in.

Freshman Mike Katzer added four scores to Harvard’s offensive output, while juniors Egen Atkinson and Mitch Denti and sophomore Jeff Lee each added three tallies. Freshman Luka Babic also contributed two goals to the Crimson’s season-high 20-goal outburst.

While many members of the Harvard squad scored in the contest, the most memorable moment came when Connolly, the Crimson’s starting goalie, was given the chance to play in the field and scored his first collegiate goal on offense for Harvard. With the shot clock quickly running out, Connolly bounced in a shot from about 15 meters out with his strong arm that Crimson fans have come to recognize over the past four years.

“That goal was a lot of fun,” Connolly remarked. “It was a great way to cap off my career here at Harvard.”

Junior Nikhil Balaraman made 10 saves in goal.

MIT 9, HARVARD 7

The Crimson battled back from a halftime deficit Saturday morning against MIT and was able to force overtime in its first game of the tournament. But the Engineers pulled ahead and won the contest in extra time, 9-7.

Thompson led the Harvard effort with three goals, while Voith added two goals to go along with his four steals and three assists. Thompson tied the game at three in the second period and notched the go-ahead goal in the fourth to give the Crimson a 6-5 advantage, its first lead of the day.

Atkinson and Babic also scored for Harvard, with Atkinson contributing three steals and three assists in the contest. Babic’s goal gave the Crimson a 7-6 edge.

Harvard came out flat at the beginning of overtime, as the Crimson failed to score in the first three-minute session and attempted no shots in the second three-minute period. Harvard had two turnovers in two possessions to close out the game.